


The Computer

by leviathanSlewfoot



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Agender Character, Agender Hange Zoë, Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Body Horror, Body Modification, Child Armin Arlert, Child Eren Yeager, Child Mikasa Ackerman, Child Soldiers, Eren Is a Little Shit, F/M, Gender-Neutral Hange Zoë, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Hange Zoë & Levi Are Best Friends, Hange Zoë's Experiments, Human Experimentation, I'm Sorry, M/M, Mentor/Protégé, Mikasa Ackerman & Levi Are Related, Multi, Nerd Armin Arlert, Non-Consensual Body Modification, Nonbinary Hange Zoë, Overprotective Mikasa Ackerman, Protective Mikasa Ackerman, Scientist Hange Zoë, Telekinesis, Tragedy, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-23
Updated: 2018-05-23
Packaged: 2019-05-07 06:22:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14665146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/leviathanSlewfoot/pseuds/leviathanSlewfoot
Summary: The A.R.M.I.N. wasn't always the most powerful computer in the world, you know. It once was a child, named Armin Arlert.Yes, I took the acronym from Attack on Space. So sue me. (Please don't, actually.)I'm sorry, I'm really bad at titles. If you come up with a better name for this story, please let me know!





	The Computer

The A.R.M.I.N. wasn’t always the most powerful computer in the world, you know.

Do you know how the A.R.M.I.N. works? It runs on two things; electricity and the human mind.

The specific mind that runs the A.R.M.I.N. was a child whose name was Armin.

Armin was chosen for a very specific reason. They had the ability to manipulate their surroundings using their mind. In other words, they made use of more of their brain than the average human being does.

The child was seven-and-a-quarter years old when they first allowed themself to use their powers in public, where the eyes of his peers and elders could gaze and stare as they wished, and stare they did.

Unfortunately, there were those who feared Armin for their gift, the majority of this group including most of their peers. A portion of these peers would often physically harm the blonde haired child, who wouldn’t fight back because they were also afraid of what they could do.

However, there were also those who would stand up for Armin. Particularly, an adoptive pair of siblings known as Eren Jeager and Mikasa Ackerman.

By the time Armin was twelve years old, an organization whose purpose was unknown at the time had heard about Armin’s ability, and wished to make use of it and them.

Naturally, they talked to their grandfather first about the subject, making their experiment sound like an opportunity for his child to learn more about programming and building computers, the type of subject which Armin had been interested in since they were a very young child.

The day that Armin first heard about this organization, they were busy talking to their friends about the dangers of Eren joining the revolution, something he had wanted to do since he was very young.

“Eren, you know what mom said,” Mikasa argued. “With the civil war going on, you could be killed!”

“The civil war is exactly why I want to join,” Eren rebutted. “We can’t just let the King do whatever he wants with us! We have to fight for our rights!”

“We’re too young, Eren, we’re only twelve years old! You’re too important, what would we do if you got killed? Mom would never be the same, and dad still wouldn’t be able to stay long enough to even pay our taxes,” Mikasa said.

The points that the young girl gave were valid enough. It was true that the only son of their family was extremely important, as only males were allowed to pay the taxes of a family. It was also extremely true that their mother would never be the same after Eren’s death. Their father was a doctor, so he had to travel quite a bit in order to reach his patients.

Eren huffed. “So what? You can dress like a boy, can’t you? Just cut that long hair of yours,” he said, lightly tugging at his sister’s dark hair.

Mikasa’s face remained emotionless as usual, even as her head was jerked along with her hair.

Armin frowned. “You do have to think about your family, Eren. If you leave to fight in the war, Mikasa will have to dress like a boy in order to support your family, and she’ll have to get apprenticed to somebody who’ll be willing to keep the secret, since you’re almost old enough to be apprenticed yourself,” they warned.

“Not if she joins as well,” Eren said.

The only sign of surprise that Mikasa showed was a blink.

“You can’t just expect her to do that for you, Eren,” Armin argued.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll go wherever you go,” Mikasa stated.

Again, the blonde twelve year old’s eyebrows furrowed. Mikasa had always been fiercely loyal to Eren, but something to this level was rather concerning. After all, she had her own life to worry about as well, not just Eren’s.

Before they could find a way to put their thoughts into words, Armin’s grandfather called for them to come home.

“I’ll see you guys tomorrow,” Armin said as they dashed away to heed their grandfather’s call.

Once they got back to their grandfather’s small house that was surrounded by a birch grove, they discovered that said grandfather had been speaking with some mysterious men, who looked to be very educated and very privileged.

“Grandfather? Who are these people?” Armin asked, suspicious as they walked into their house and sat down at their place in the small living room.

“Armin, these gentlemen are from the Organization for the Advancement of Talented Children, and we’ve been discussing a program that they’ve been setting up that I think you would fit very well in,” the old man explained, smiling at his grandchild.

One of the men, a redhead that appeared to be in his early thirties, stood up to greet Armin. “So this is the Armin that we’ve heard so much about. My name is Jaecar Benedum.” He held out his hand for the blue-eyed child to shake.

Hesitantly, Armin did so purely out of politeness. They did not speak, just watched the man with a wary gaze.

Jaecar smiled warmly. “I don’t bite, don’t worry,” he joked.

While the other men laughed heartily at this, Armin had a difficult time simply faking a smile and a small, nervous chuckle.

The redheaded man’s eyes softened. “However, in all seriousness, Armin, we sincerely believe that you could be a critical part in the program that we’re creating. You would be a part of the first group that we put through the program. Each person in the group is to create a machine of their own creation after a teaching course of the basics of mechanics. The one that is voted to be the best will be presented to the king himself."

Armin blinked. It did seem like an amazing opportunity, but something about the men didn’t seem right. They shrugged the notion off, however. This was the sort of thing that Armin had been waiting for his entire life.

As a commoner, they would never be able to rise up in life unless they did something that was noticeable enough to make others see them. Now that they had the opportunity, Armin wasn’t going to just let it go.

“Alright, thank you for the invitation,” Armin said. “How do I apply?”

Jaecar smiled. “No need, Mr. Arlert. We’ve already talked the arrangements over with your grandfather. You’ll be leaving for the capitol in three days.” 

“What about my grandfather,” Armin asked.

“I’ll be staying here. Don’t worry Armin, I’ll be just fine on my own,” their grandfather said in reply.

Armin bit their lip, but nodded. They’d always known that sacrifices would have to be made in order to rise in the social order, but they hadn’t thought of the possibility of leaving his grandfather behind.

“How long will I be gone for,” they asked.

“About six months. Clothing, food, and shelter will be provided, of course, as part of the program.”

Armin paused, frowning. “How much will this cost?”

“Always thinking about the details, aren’t you?” Jaecar chuckled. “This is a government-funded project, so you don’t have to worry about your grandfather selling anything.”

Armin nodded.

Armin’s grandfather nodded. “Good, it’s settled then. Thank you, kind gentlemen, for this wonderful opportunity for my Armin. Good evening.”

After that, the men left, and Armin went to bed early.

Staring up at the ceiling, the twelve year old pondered what was to come until he fell asleep to the thoughts.

The next day, Armin got up earlier than usual (which was only a little after dawn as it was) to make breakfast for their grandfather as well as leave a note stating that he was heading to Eren and Mikasa’s house for a few hours, and would be back before lunch.

Once they got there, the sun had risen several fingers, so Armin decided to wait by the front door of the Jeager household until Mikasa and Eren came out.

They leaned against the stone wall of the house by the door, feeling their old shoes getting soaked in the grass covered with early morning dew. There they stood for about fifteen minutes, until they heard muffled groans inside the house.

Armin chuckled. That must have been Eren, who was only just waking up. They lightly rapped their knuckles against the glass window of Eren’s room.

A few moments later, the window opened, and a bed-headed Eren Jeager stuck his head out. “Armin? What are you doing here so early?”

Armin laughed. “It’s been at least two hours since the sun rose, you lazy!”

Eren huffed. “Shut up, get in here.”

He grabbed the other’s arm, pulling them up into his room. “Seriously, Armin, what are you doing here? You never come until after noon.”

Armin looked down. “Let’s wait until Mikasa wakes up to talk about it.”

Eren frowned, concerned for his shorter friend. “Alright… Mikasa’s awake with mom, making breakfast. I’ll go get her.”

Armin nodded, still looking down.

Eren walked out of the room, and a few moments later, he returned with his dark haired sister.

Mikasa quickly walked over to Armin, sitting them down. Though her actions indicated worry, there was not a trace of concern etched on her features. Armin knew, though, that she really was worried for them. “What’s wrong, Armin?”

Armin looked down at their hands and noticed that they were tightly clenched together, their knuckles turning white.

Mikasa put her hand over their smaller ones, knowing that they could get dysphoric when they started to notice things about themself.

“Armin, talk to us,” she ordered calmly.

“I… I’m leaving for the capitol in three days,” they said finally. “I’m going to be gone for six months. It’s for a government-funded competition.”

Eren grinned. “Armin, that’s amazing! What kind of competition?”

Mikasa gave him a look that shut him up quite effectively. “You’ll be fine, Armin. You’re going to do great things in the capitol, why else would they bring you there?”

Armin shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s just such a long time to be gone for. What about you guys? I mean, I know you have each other, and I'm probably not that important to you anyway, but... I'm going to miss you guys."

Mikasa shook her head. “We’re going to miss you too, Armin, and you’re just as important to me as Eren is, same with him. Isn’t that right, Eren?”

Eren looked up, startled. “What? Oh, uh, yeah. Of course.”

Mikasa sighed. “You’re just as important as any one of us are, Armin, don’t forget that.”

Armin bit their lip again, but nodded anyways.

After that, the conversation moved on to lighter topics, but the thought of having to leave their friends behind for such a long period of time never ceased pestering Armin’s mind. Try as they might to forget it, they just couldn’t force the notion out.

Two days later, Armin left on a boat for the capitol. The trip took only two weeks. When they arrived, they were bombarded with sights, sounds, and smells that they had never experienced before. There were bustling markets filled with people of high society exchanging gold coins for all sorts of different goods, dazzlingly bright lights and colors, the scents of foreign spices, as well as the buzzing of people speaking all at once.

It was rather overwhelming, so for most of the time, Armin elected to stay in their quarters, reading books that they had brought along with them and ones that were brought to them by Jaecar.

The problem that they were told was the prompt for building a machine for the competition was thus: To build something that would revolutionize modern technology.

Armin was taken aback by the boldness and almost impossibility of the prompt. How on earth would they build something that would change technology as everyone knew it?

They stopped sleeping and eating, becoming almost obsessed with the problem. Their only companion was Jaecar, who would visit them often, attempting to distract Armin from their work, as they were becoming rather self-destructive in their habits.

Until, one day, they came up with a solution to their problem.

“What if I could revolutionize technology by giving it what technology doesn’t possess,” Armin explained to Jaecar, “by giving it the ability to comprehend human emotions? By giving it empathy?

“If I did, technology could act as a tool for so many other things! Mental health care for those who can’t afford it, more effective interrogation techniques, and could even help in negotiating the end of wars!”

Jaecar frowned, thinking for a moment. “To do that, you’d have to give it something similar to the supramarginal gyrus, which is located in the cerebral cortex, and is used for empathy and emotions.”

Armin nodded. “I know, which is why I think it should be connected to a human brain. Specifically,” he smiled, “my brain. Because of my abilities, it should make it easier for the computer to distinguish the difference between my emotions and my understanding of the emotions, as I’ve found that I actually use more of my brain than the usual person does.”

Jaecar nodded. “And you wouldn’t be harmed in this process?”

“With a few modifications to my body, no, it shouldn’t.”

“What kind of modifications?”

“Well, mostly in the cranial area. A simple surgery done by someone who knows what they're doing should be enough to do the trick."

Again, the ginger man frowned. “Armin, you know I’m behind you in everything you do, but this sounds very dangerous and… well, experimental, at best.”

Armin nodded. “It is. That’s why I’m the one testing it. If I get hurt, it’s better than anyone else, isn’t it?”

Jaecar steepled his fingers. “If you think about it a certain way, I suppose so… if you’re willing to take the risk, I can arrange for a group of neurosurgeons to perform the operation.”

The blonde grinned. “Perfect. Thank you, Jaecar.”

About a week later, the surgery was completed. The very moment that Armin woke up, they began building the computer that they had designed in their blueprints.

It took several months of sleepless nights and work-filled days to complete it, but when Armin did, they thought that they at least deserved to name it after themself, so that’s what they did.

“Good job, Armin. What’s it called,” Jaecar asked when he heard the news from the blonde.

“The Automated Response Mechanical Interface Network, also known as the A.R.M.I.N. What do you think?”

Jaecar smiled. “I think it’s worth all the effort you put into it. Now, go get some rest. After all of that work, you deserve it.”

That night, Armin was awoken by the sound of their door opening. They sat up. “Hello? Who’s there?”

Suddenly, someone put their hand over Armin’s mouth.

“Calm down, it’s just me,” a familiar voice whispered into their ear.

Once the hand released him, Armin spun around. “Eren? What are you doing here?”

Eren, for once, had a somber look on his face. “We don’t have time to explain, Armin. The government is using you and the computer you created to use against the rebellion. We’re here to get you out of here.”

Armin frowned. “... Are you sure? Eren, ever since I’ve been here, they’ve treated me with nothing but kindness.”

Eren groaned. “Again, they’re using you! Of course they would! They’re just going to link you up to the A.R.M.I.N. permanently!”

Armin blinked rapidly, attempting to comprehend the situation fully. “How do you even know all of this?”

Eren grabbed his wrist and started running out of the room. “We don’t have time!"

Armin sealed their lips and ran along with their friend. They trusted their friend more than they trusted the government, anyway.

Once they got outside, three adults and Mikasa were waiting for them.

One of them was a short male with black hair, another was an androgynous person with dark auburn hair pulled into a ponytail at the back of xis head with goggles fixed over xer forehead, and the third was a blonde man who had rather thick eyebrows. All three of them sported the same symbol of rebellion against the government; a green cape with the Wings of Freedom imprinted on its back.

The ginger one grinned, leaning closer to Armin in morbid curiosity. “Oh, Eren, is this the Armin boy that built the A.R.M.I.N.?”

Armin stepped back, cautious. “Who are you?”

The ginger rebel giggled. “Oh, my apologies, I forgot to introduce myself! My name is Hange Zoё, and we’re going to be simply the best of friends, Armin Arlert!”

The raven-haired man grabbed xim by the cape and yanked them backwards. “Back off, filthy glasses, you’re going to scare the kid.”

The blonde one sighed. “We don’t have time to explain. I’m sorry, Armin, but you’re going to have to trust us.” He looked down to gaze Armin directly in the eyes.

Armin frowned, but nodded. They were with their friends; surely, if anyone, they could trust them.

Before he knew it, the man with dark eyes and dark hair who seemed to resemble Mikasa in several ways had lifted Armin onto a horse and then hopped onto it himself. After which, he spurred it into a gallop. Armin wrapped their arms around the man’s waist instinctively, trying their best to keep from being thrown off of the horse’s back.

After a ride that must have lasted several hours long, they arrived at a harbor. They caught a boat that was apparently on its way back to the colony that Armin had left all those months ago.

Once they were settled in and on their own in a room, the blonde man, whom Armin found out was named Erwin, explained that the government had indeed planned on hooking them up to the A.R.M.I.N. permanently, and had been using them as a puppet to help win the civil war.

That night, they did not sleep. Sleep, according to Hange, was unnecessary, as well as a master plan created by the government to keep people from getting as much work done as they would if they didn't sleep. They, instead, found different ways to occupy their time.

Hange had many things to ask of Armin, mostly about the technology in their brain and their A.R.M.I.N. Xe was also interested in Armin themself, though, something that the blonde adolescent was not used to. Questions about their habits, their favorite foods, their favorite books, and what kind of flower they liked best came pouring out of Hange’s curious mouth, xir dark amber eyes sparkling with excitement at every detail of who Armin Arlert really was.

Erwin was willing to answer all of their questions, and seemed an intelligent and cheerful person in general. He taught Armin how to use their small size to their advantage, dodging the punches of their enemies while causing said enemies to waste energy on trying to hit them, as well as how to play chess. He had a strong build, but had let Eren beat him in a arm wrestling match anyway.

In contrast to Erwin, Levi, the black haired male who had riden on the horse with Armin, did not let any of the three younger ones win. He beat every single other person in the room, including Erwin. The child who had done the best against him was Mikasa. By the time Levi gently tapped the back of her hand to the desk, her face was red, and she was panting heavily. It was the only thing that Armin had ever seen Mikasa struggle with or get emotional and/or passionate about.

Where initially they had been skeptical of the three, Armin found that they had taken a liking to them. They were much less suspicious than the government’s people had been.

Once they got to the rebellion’s secret base where they trained their new recruits, they stayed there. For three long years, Armin, Eren, and Mikasa trained under the personal tutelage of Erwin, Hange, and Levi.

Hange taught them about the scientific matters of their education, Levi made them run through physical drills and other necessary military exercises, while Erwin taught the three how to think strategically when planning battles and on the battlefield.

They all developed rather close relationships with one another, though none of them were romantic. That was fine by Armin, though, as they were asexual and aromantic to the extreme. They were very much fulfilled by the relationships they formed with their mentors and friends in the rebellion.

Eventually, they all earned the right to bear the Wings of Freedom on their backs.

Then came the day that everything went wrong.

“Cadets! Get to your dormitories, now! This is not a drill, the republic is attacking!” The loudspeaker boomed throughout the camp. “Armin Arlert, Eren Jeager, and Mikasa Ackerman, report to Commander Erwin’s office immediately!”

It had been lunch time, so Armin was trying to dump his tray when Mikasa grabbed his wrist and pulled him along, Eren also in tow.

Once they got to Erwin's office, they found that Levi and Hange were also there.

"What is it, Commander?" Mikasa asked.

"As you know, the camp is under attack. We're stationed here to protect Armin, as they are a very critical instrument to our victory in the war." Erwin was very serious at the moment, which was contradictory to his usual cheerfulness. "All three of you are."

Hange stepped forward, uncharacteristically serious. "Our top priority is your safety, so you are to stay here while we guard you."

Levi's dark green emotionless stare was piercing all three of them, knowing that they would want to be in the action with the rest of the cadets. "Is that clear?"

All three of the cadets saluted and confirmed their understanding of the order. "Yes, sir."

Hange nodded, and the three mentors walked out of the office, never to return again.

Despite many people dying for the cause, and the base defending itself as best as it could, almost every other person in camp was killed except for Erwin, Hange, Levi, Mikasa, Eren, Armin, and ten others.

While the other ten managed to escaped, the mentors and the students were captured and brought to the capitol once again.

The last conscious thought that Armin Arlert ever had was the sight of his mentors and best friends mourning for him already, as they were being linked up to the A.R.M.I.N. for the first and last time.


End file.
